Sex & The Single Girl. Joanne Rock

you, Ms. Reynolds. Brianne was just getting ready to give me a tour of the resort so I could get acclimated for making myself at home here over the next week or two.”

      Had he told her he’d be here for that long?

      “Excellent. Just let me know if you need anything else.” Lainie smiled with more efficiency than warmth, and it occurred to Brianne she probably hadn’t ever seen a full-fledged grin on the new CEO’s face.

      One day she’d ask Summer more about Lainie’s story, but now as her partner departed down the hallway, she was too annoyed with Aidan to think about it anymore.

      Aidan turned on her, his mask of polite good humor vanishing. His dark brows flattened into a fearsome slash across his forehead. “Care to tell me why you’re wasting our time arguing about whether or not I have your authorization to hang out on the premises when your partners have obviously already agreed on it?”

      Unwilling to be cowed by the tough-guy act, Brianne decided the time had come for a little cold, hard honesty here.

      “Has it ever occurred to you I might not want the object of an ancient and embarrassing crush glued to my side for two whole weeks?” She struggled to keep her tone even, level. Her work had taught her that women were more likely to be written off if they emoted too much. Men had the luxury of acting out when and if they so chose, but thanks to an age-old stereotype of the hysterical female, women had to pull the ice queen facade in order to make men take them seriously.

      Usually, she was superb in that particular role. But oddly enough, the subject of Aidan Maddock still had the power to get her a little more riled than she cared to admit.

      Aidan frowned. “You find an old crush on me embarrassing? You think I’ve gone downhill in the last ten years, Bri?”

      A little exasperated sigh broke free.

      After ten years of keeping her cool—even with the psycho guitar player former boyfriend—Brianne couldn’t believe Aidan was already getting under her skin.

      “That’s not what I mean and you know it. I don’t appreciate having to rub elbows with a guy I once threw myself at as if I were—”

      “Some kind of lovelorn teenager?” he supplied.

      She glared at him. “Some kind of blind and disillusioned kid.”

      Aidan nodded. Placated her. “You’re right. I can see where the situation might be a little awkward for you.” Was he hiding a preening male smile underneath that pseudo-charm of his? “But now that we’ve established that I’m going to be welcomed here by the rest of the owners, why don’t we move on to a quick tour of the grounds and then I’ll make myself scarce.”